The Panzerplatte stages at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland: why fans love them and drivers dread them

• (In)famous Special Stages on the Baumholder military range
• New rally Saturday concept for even more spectator friendliness
• All-new itinerary for the Panzerplatte stages guaranteeing even more variety

Munich. The ADAC Rallye Deutschland has many settings and highlights. A star attraction at the German WRC event is the Baumholder military range with its (in)famous concrete slab pavement originally built for tanks. This year (22-25 August), over 100 kilometres of challenging rally racing await World Champion Sébastien Ogier and his fellow WRC drivers.

For the first time, all four Special Stages (2x Arena Panzerplatte SS, 2x Panzerplatte SS) will take place on Saturday afternoon: the first car will start at 15:08hrs, and the last leg of the evening will begin at 19:41hrs. Between the two sets of Panzerplatte stages, there will be no other Special Stages elsewhere. This means that spectators need not move around as much and can enjoy maximum action in one single place.

Another change concerns the itinerary on the military range: virtually all sections will be run in the opposite direction to last year. This will present the teams with new, exciting challenges, because they will have to study these sections from scratch and take new recce notes. For the fans, this means even more variety. The Panzerplatte owes its legendary reputation to several aspects. Trying to explore the myth surrounding the Panzerplatte, we came up with a few explanations.

The site
Since the 12,000 hectare site is a training area for German and international armed forces, public access is restricted. The vast terrain is criss-crossed by an intricate network of roads providing almost endless possibilities for the layout of the Special Stages.

The atmosphere
When the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is on, the military range has a festival atmosphere. Thousands of fans troup to the different spectator areas and hotspots, such as the Gina jump. Around the Panzerplatte Turm (tower), the highest point on the rally venue, they get the perfect view of the action. Therefore, the 2019 Arena Panzerplatte SS will finish here. The special flair of the Panzerplatte would not be complete without the attractive spectator entertainment programme, including live broadcasts on big video screens, sweepstakes, promotional stands and plenty of other attractions.

The terrain
The military range is the ultimate endurance test. Especially the long Panzerplatte stage, 2x 41.17km long this year, will be a real stress test for the tyres of the WRC cars and the drivers’ concentration. What is so tough on the tyres is the mix of surfaces: For the most part, they will be rolling over the sheer-concrete slabs after which the stage is named and over coarse stones. In addition, there is very rough asphalt in several spots.

The Hinkelsteins
The roads on the military range are lined with large boulders. Originally, the Hinkelsteins were intended to stop tanks. At the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, they force the rally drivers to steer their vehicles with utmost precision, because even the slightest errors may have dire consequences here. Many rally stars have made the unpleasant acquaintance of the solid waymarks. Over the years, rally fans all over the world have thus become familiar with the name “Hinkelstein”, the German word for “menhir”.

The Gina jump
Although the Arena Panzerplatte SS will be run almost completely in the opposite direction this year, the legendary Gina jump will also be included, of course, as one of the most popular photo locations of the entire ADAC Rallye Deutschland. The jump propels WRC cars into spectacular leaps of around 40 metres.

The drama
Time and again, the military training area has been the setting of dramatic scenes, often decisive in determining the overall winner of the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. In 2017, Thierry Neuville dropped out early into the first short Panzerplatte stage with a broken suspension – quite a blow in the WRC duel with Sébastien Ogier, which the Belgian then actually ended up losing. In 2012, Ott Tänak won the first two Special Stages on Saturday afternoon. On the Panzerplatte, however, he hit a Hinkelstein that abruptly ended his winning streak. In 2011, Sébastien Loeb dominated the rally until a tyre puncture occurred during the second Panzerplatte stage. So, the serial winner lost his no. 1 position, clearing the way for Ogiers’ first victory at the ADAC Rallye Deutschland. One of the most legendary accidents on the military range happened to Petter Solberg in 2004, when the then-defending World Champion hit a Hinkelstein at full speed.

The best
Since its WRC premiere in 2002, a total of 62 Special Stages have been completed on the Baumholder military range – including anything from short sprints approx. 3km in length to veritable marathons of some 50km. With no less than 15 stage wins, Sébastien Loeb is the undisputed “King of the Panzerplatte”. Defending World Champion Sébastien Ogier is in second with a total of nine fastest times on the Panzerplatte, followed closely by Dani Sordo with eight victories, and Marcus Grönholm sharing the no. 4 spot with Jari-Matti Latvala, each having won seven times. Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak have each won a sprint among the Hinkelsteins only once.

Get your rally and day passes in pre-sale now!
Passes to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland are available at www.adac.de/rallye-deutschland. The official online ticket shop sells both four-day rally and day passes. ADAC members pay €65 for a pre-sale rally pass (€70 for non-members). The rally pass package is available at an extra €5 and includes the pass and the official rally magazine. During the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the regular price for a rally pass will be €80 at all on-site sales points. Day passes (for Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday) are available exclusively on pre-sale and start at €25.

The rally pass package includes:
– Access to all Special Stages on all days
– Access to the Service Park on all days
– Access to the Shakedown on Thursday
– A spectator map providing all the essential information about the rally
– ADAC Rallye Deutschland lanyard
– ADAC Rallye Deutschland sticker
– ADAC Rallye Deutschland magazine (in German with essential information in English and French)

ADAC Rallye Deutschland information:
The ADAC Rallye Deutschland has a unique worldwide reputation. Its mix of hairpin stages in the vineyards, tough tracks on the Baumholder tank range and fast asphalt roads presents extreme challenges for both the teams and the drivers. Excellent driving skills and versatility are of the essence here. Diversity, high-class action and closeness to the fans are the ingredients that make the ADAC Rallye Deutschland such an attractive package for spectators as well. Year after year, this major event draws enthusiastic crowds from all over Europe, giving it a special, international atmosphere.